geddyqueer - Tumblr blog

geddyqueer · 8 hours ago

Note

For the cuddling prompts 💞 could I get number 30 or 6 please? I love that trope so much ❤️

thank you for sending this in!! some more bodyguard au, cuddling out of necessity (30). emotional necessity. big time. buckley parents. they're happening. this is bodyguard buck and senator kinard, set after this last installment. wordcount about 1.8k. find all parts of the bodyguard au here (tagged "bodyguard au (screamlet)").

---

They try to take their time with brunch, but as more people arrive they start doing double takes at their table in the corner. Buck and Sal are right: he's not good at blending in. While Evan's looking at his phone, Tommy slips away to the register and pays in cash, then goes back to (gently) grab Evan and bring him back to their car.

Soon after, they're back on the road to DC and Maddie's apartment. She called twice while they were eating and Evan didn't seem to notice, so he calls her back now.

"They're what," Evan asks flatly. Tommy can hear the tenor of Maddie's voice from the driver's side, but he can't make out the words.

From the corner of his eye, Tommy watches Evan pinch the bridge of his nose as he leans on the passenger side door. It's his bad shoulder and he doesn't seem to notice. Not a great sign of things to come. "Okay, well. We're on our way. We stopped for breakfast. Yeah, he took me out to breakfast. It says we'll be there at noon, okay?"

He hesitates, then says, "I'm sorry. No, I know, but—yeah. I'm still—okay. Okay, bye."

Evan lets his phone sit in his lap and stares straight ahead at the road. Tommy gives him a few moments before he asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Evan says, then shakes his head. "My parents are here. They drove down from Hershey and they're staying at a hotel near Maddie's. And…" He rubs his forehead again as he says, "And they're freaking out."

Tommy waits, but there's nothing else. "Do you want me to talk to them?"

Evan scoffs. "What, like my teacher? I know you're concerned about Evan's performance in class, but he's really bright, he just needs to apply himself."

"Sounds like there's something there," Tommy answers dryly. "Excuse the crude language I'm about to use, but less parent-teacher conference and more big dick senator."

Evan chokes and squirms in his seat under the seatbelt. Tommy didn't think he was that funny. "Yeah, uh, let's. Maybe. I don't know. Do you want to get yelled at today?"

"By them? I don't care. Though I should call Sal and let him know. Do you think they're the splashy expose kind?"

"No, no way," Evan replies. "They're just—just kind of the worst."

"Helpful."

"I'll put Sal on speaker," Evan says. "And you don't have to come with me to Maddie's, you can just drop me off and—and you don't have to—" He seems to realize it's futile now. "Yeah, you'll see what I mean."

"Unfortunately, now I'm fascinated." When Sal picks up, Tommy says, "Hey sunshine, I've got something to spice up your day."

"Oh what the fuck now?"

---

Evan has a pair of crutches, but he has to get around on just one since he was hit in the shoulder. Something about only the one crutch screams Civil War veteran and Tommy tries to ignore it. He's carrying a weekender bag with Evan's clothes as well as the tote bag with his home care instructions and medication, and they're moving down the hall to Maddie's apartment slower than Tommy could imagine.

"Evan." Tommy had been walking behind him, but he comes up and rests a hand on Evan's elbow. "Listen: if it's that bad? Stay with me."

"What?" Evan stares at him and then shakes his head. "No, no, it's—it'll be fine, honestly I'm exaggerating, they're not—it's fine."

"The more you tell me it's fine," Tommy begins.

"It's fine," Evan says, then moves a little faster.

"It's an open-ended offer," Tommy says. "Whatever kind of stress is behind that door—"

"They're my family," Evan says. "It's what I've got. It'll be fine."

---

It is anything but fine.

"If you had told us you were taking a job as a bodyguard—"

"Well, that's why I didn't tell you," Evan replies. "And hey, are you going to say hello to US Senator Thomas Kinard of California, my boss?"

Evan's father reluctantly approaches and shakes his hand. "I thought you were a state senator."

"Well, I'm not," Tommy says. He extends his hand to Evan's mother, who looks at him with fury and disgust before she quickly, barely offers him her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. An experience, even."

"Tommy," Evan hisses.

"Mom, Dad, can Evan sit down or does he need to be standing for this?" Maddie asks. She glares at them as she helps Evan to an armchair in the corner.

"Evan," his mother sighs.

"Tommy," Maddie says, then catches herself. "Okay. We all got off on the wrong foot. Senator Kinard, these are our parents, Margaret and Phillip Buckley. Mom, Dad, this is Senator Kinard."

Tommy smiles at them, small and tight. "Tommy's fine, thank you."

"Sounds like a child's name," Margaret says. "A man your age doesn't go by Tom?"

Evan sinks deeper into his chair, and rubs his stubbled face hard enough that he might get a clean shave like that.

"If Tommy doesn't work, Senator Kinard is fine, Mrs. Buckley," Tommy replies. "And Maddie's right: I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I'll leave once I can tell you—"

"Tell us what?" Phillip demands. "Our son almost died for you." Phillip turns to Buck and Maddie. "After taking a reckless, stupid job working for this man."

"A week, a week, Senator," Margaret says, "and every time we turn on the television, there's our son in a hail of bullets while you stand there—"

"He saved my life!" Evan yells. "He threw me on the ground and protected me, and then he got the guy who shot me in the first place. He says I'm brave, I say he's braver, knowing what was gonna happen and doing it anyway."

"And you wouldn't have been in the situation in the first place if you hadn't taken this insane job," Margaret replies. "You should have never left home. You should have stayed and finished school, and instead you became a low life living out of Maddie's car—"

"Oh my god, Mom!" Maddie yells. "Stop talking to him like that! What's wrong with you, both of you? That's your son."

"He's our son, our one living son, and from the minute he could think for himself, he's looked for every way possible to throw his life away," Phillip says.

Tommy stares at them in disbelief, then looks at Evan, who's—barely there. Not even a little bit in his body. He's not even fidgeting with the phone in his lap, just holding it and staring blankly at something on the floor. He seems to realize Tommy's watching him because he looks up, embarrassed and helpless. He mouths sorry at him, then nods towards the door. Go.

"Evan," Tommy interrupts, eyes locked on him. "It feels a little crowded in here. Do you want to spend a few days at my place? The guest room is on the ground floor. I could give you rides to PT on my way to the office." Tommy nods at the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" Phillip asks. "Do you think you're taking our son from us after—"

"He's a grown man who took three bullets in defense of a US Senator, Mr. Buckley," Tommy replies. "He can do whatever he wants. I'm giving him options, which is more than what I can say for you."

Evan looks between all four of them, terrified, then sits up. Maddie helps him out of the armchair and Tommy grabs the bags he just put down, as well as Evan's other crutch.

"Evan, don't be absurd, sit down, you're not going anywhere with this man," Margaret says.

"No, he's right," Evan says. He straightens out his shirt and adjusts himself on the one crutch. "I'll call you, Maddie."

Suddenly, Margaret realizes he's actually leaving. She reaches for his arm and almost knocks him over as she grabs him. "Evan, no, Evan, please don't go, you—you have to understand—"

"I do," Evan says, then pulls away.

"No, you don't," Phillip says, but doesn't elaborate.

"Tell me later," Evan says, then looks sadly at Maddie. "I'll call you later?"

She nods, her eyes tearing up as she looks at Evan, then at Tommy. "I'll, uh. You have my number if—if anything comes up."

Tommy nods and holds the apartment door open for Evan. He's slung Evan's bags over his shoulder again and firmly shuts the door behind them.

"Wow," Evan says. "That was even worse than I thought. Pretty impressive."

"Okay, good, that wasn't them on easy mode," Tommy says.

"No, but. It's not… great, either. Normally."

Tommy nods. He rests his hand on the nape of Evan's neck with a gentle squeeze, then lets go. "We'll talk in the car. Or we won't. And you don't have to stay at my place if you don't want to, I only wanted to get you out of there. If you want a hotel or—"

"No, uh. Your place is good. It—if it's a real offer."

Tommy meets his eyes. "It is. It's real."

"Then I'll stay," Evan says, but he looks away. He punches the elevator button and, thankfully, they don't have to wait long at all.

When the doors shut, Evan leans into Tommy and wraps his arms around his waist. He's shaking, big heaving breaths as he hides against Tommy's shoulder. "What the fuck," he whispers, and Tommy holds him closer. "Don't believe them. Don't believe anything they say."

"I'm sorry to tell you this and ruin the beautiful image you have of my life," Tommy says, "but I've heard worse. I mean, a week ago, a guy tried to shoot me."

Evan lets out the smallest, most pathetic laugh, and presses more against Tommy, who's grateful for the longest elevator ride in the world.

"You're okay," Tommy says quietly, then—then he does it, and kisses the side of Evan's head. He freezes for a second, both of them do, but then Evan lets Tommy gather him closer. Tommy braves another one, this time to the top of his head and lets his lips rest there. He smells too much like a hospital and even like that diner, but they can fix that. Evan's somewhere in there. Evan's here.

Then Evan holds himself up and looks into Tommy's eyes. He never, never would have dared with anyone else who worked for him, with him, but he dares with Evan. He touches Evan's chin, his thumb in the faint line of Evan's cleft, and their lips meet, a warm and soft spot for both of them to land. Evan pulls away, pupils wide and captivated as he stares at Tommy.

"Was that okay?" Tommy asks.

"Yeah," Evan whispers, then leans in and kisses him again, and again.

#yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!#let's get back to what's really important: this.#bucktommy forever

162 notes · View notes